Avatar Drabbles
by Earth Star
Summary: A series of drabbles on Avatar Warning: hinting of ZukoKatara and rating may change.
1. You Are Heartless

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its' characters and I do not wish to make a profit on this.

_Author's Note: This is an AU during the second season in which Zuko and Iroh are travelling with Aang and the gang._

"You Are Heartless"

"OW!" Zuko yelled as he pulled his arm away.

Katara glared. "Zuko! Hold still!"

"So you can rub more of that stuff on my arm? Forget it! It stings!"

Katara folded her arms and gave a sigh. Thankfully, she was used to getting this reaction from Sokka. Katara was starting to wonder if acting immature was some sort of rite of passage all boys had to go through. "It only stings for a few seconds. Now quit acting like a child, I have to put this ointment on where you got scratched."

Zuko gave back a stubborn glare. How did his life get like this? A few months ago, he and this girl were mortal enemies and he was trying to catch the Avatar. Now, both he and Iroh were fugitives from the Fire nation and traveling with his former prey.

Iroh didn't seem to mind this change at all. In fact, his uncle appeared to enjoy riding that flying bison, but Zuko guessed it was because it was better than traveling by foot.

Zuko looked to Katara and narrowed his eyes as he answered her. "No."

Katara threw both arms up in the air. "Fine! Then YOU can let your arm get infected and YOU can explain to your uncle why you need to have your arm chopped off and then..."

"Oh never mind!" Zuko snapped, holding his arm out. "Just get it over with! It's easier than having you nag me."

Katara gave a satisfied smirk and rubbed on more of the ointment.

Zuko winced as he felt like a thousand bees were stinging his arm at once, but remained still.

Katara could tell he wasn't enjoying this. "You know, I wouldn't be doing this if you hadn't decided to take on a platypus bear."

"I didn't decide to, it just sprang out of nowhere when I was trying to get water!"

"But you didn't have to fight it!" Katara argued. "You're lucky you only got your arm scratched and Appa was there to scare it away. You could have been torn to shreds!"

Zuko could feel the veins in his head twitching. "And what was I supposed to do?"

"Play dead! Climb a tree! Make loud noise! You're not suppose to start attacking it with fire! That only gets them angry!"

Zuko gave a tired sigh. "I already got a very long lecture from my uncle, I don't need another one from you."

Katara began to wrap the bandages on his arm. "Fine, but just try to use your head more next time instead of thinking with your fists first."

Before Zuko could reply, Aang jumped down from the tree behind them. "I got the fruit Katara, how's Zuko's arm?"

"He'll live. He just needs to leave the bandages on for a few days."

Aang blinked, confused. "Bandages?"

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you don't know what bandages are?"

"Of course I do, but...I'm just wondering why Katara didn't just heal you with water."

There was a very long pause before Zuko spoke. "What?"

"Katara can use her water bending to heal injuries...Didn't she tell you?"

Zuko slowly turned to Katara, who was calmly gathering up the firewood. "You have healing abilities?"

"Yes." Katara replied.

"And the reason you didn't use that instead of something that stings like crazy is?"

Katara smirked. "Consider it payback for all the times you called me 'Peasant'."

Aang rolled over with laughter.

Zuko groaned. His life had indeed gone insane.


	2. The Price to Learning

Author's Note: This is an AU of Zuko and Iroh traveling with Aang and the gang.

The Price to Learning

The fish was swimming towards him. Zuko struck his spear down hard and fast, but the fish quickly swam past him with ease.

Zuko cursed. "I almost had that one!"

A loud laugh caused Zuko to turn and glare at the grinning Sokka. "Find this amusing, do you?"

Sokka tapped his chin like he was in deep thought. "Let's see, watching a guy who's always saying how much better he is than everyone else make an idiot of himself...It's not amusing, it's hilarious."

Zuko growled. "How about I stab this spear through your head and you tell me how funny that is!"

"Hey don't get all angry at me! Katara's the one that said it was your turn to get food." Sokka smirked. "And I said I could teach you how to fish. All you have to do is..."

"Forget it!" Zuko turned back to the river. "I can get it myself."

Two hours later, all Zuko had caught were two small fish and a frog. The frog caused Sokka to raise an eyebrow. "Why did you..."

"I missed and got that instead." Zuko grumbled.

Sokka threw the tiny prey into his sack. "We'd better start to head back to the others." He began to walk back, but Zuko grabbed his shoulder.

Sokka smirked and turned to him.

Zuko just glared at him. They both knew there was no way Zuko could return to camp with this little amount of food. His pride wouldn't allow it, not to mention the constant teasing that would follow.

Zuko locked his gaze onto Sokka. "I need to catch more fish."

Sokka dropped the sack, folded his arms and grinned like a cat holding a mouse within its paws. "Say it."

Zuko sighed and reluctantly asked. "Please...teach me to fish."

Sokka leaned in. "'Please teach me to fish' who?"

In one quick breath Zuko yelled "Please teach me, Master Sokka who is ten times better than me and all firebenders in every single way, now can we just catch some fish!"

Sokka picked up the spear, grinning from ear to ear. "Let's go student."

As he followed Sokka to the river, Zuko vowed that he would teach Sokka how to drown.


	3. Heart of the Problem

Author's Note: This drabble was written before episode 5 and 6. So, Zuko is still with Iroh and Toph has not joined the group yet.

**"The Heart of the Problem"**

It had been a long time since Zuko had this feeling. He'd barely felt it during his hunt for the Avatar and his constant running from Azula. Now, during his time traveling with the Avatar and his friends, the feeling was more common. Zuko was bored.

They had sent up camp for the night and everyone else was busy. Iroh was teaching Aang firebending, but away from the others for safety reasons. Sokka had gone hunting and Katara had gone to the river to wash clothes. Zuko had nothing to do, and so he was left with no companions save a sleeping Appa and a scurrying Momo who was chasing a butterfly.

Zuko felt that he should be doing something useful, but there was nothing for him to do. He couldn't join Iroh and Aang because he wasn't nearly as patient as his uncle was. He refused to join Sokka, unless he couldn't avoid it; hunting was something Sokka was much better at and Zuko refused to let the boy gloat. The only option left was helping Katara with the laundry.

Zuko sighed and glanced at Momo. "I don't suppose you have any ideas?"

Momo paused, tilted his head and then return to his task of catching the butterfly and possibly eating it.

"Didn't think so." Zuko got up and proceeded through the bushes. He found the river easily enough, and there was the pile of dirty clothes, but there was no Katara.

Zuko raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Where did she..."

SPLASH!

Zuko turned and looked toward the river.

The following events happened in less than five seconds.

Zuko's jaw dropped.

Katara screamed bloody murder.

Zuko cursed, turned around and ran for his life.

It never occurred to Zuko that Katara might have decided to take a bath before washing clothes.

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"Katara, are you okay?"

"Yes Aang I'm fine."

"But...you're so quiet tonight."

Sokka tore off another piece of meat. "Yeah, usually you're nagging me about chewing with my mouth opened by now."

Katara uneasily twiddled her thumbs. "Oh...I'm...just tired...that's all."

Zuko quietly sighed. He and Katara hadn't dared to exchange any eye contact all night. Neither of them dared to tell the others. Katara would die of embarrassment. Zuko would literally die, by Sokka wanting to choke and strangle him at the same time for seeing his little sister naked.

"You're awfully quiet as well, Zuko."

The prince glanced up to Iroh. "I'm...also tired..."

Zuko could tell his uncle wasn't convinced.

"Hey Katara, did you finish the laundry?" Sokka asked through a mouthful of meat.

"Um...no..." She blushed a little. "I got...distracted."

Sokka grumbled. "You took a bath again didn't you?"

Zuko froze. The moon peach he'd been eating dropped from his hand.

"Katara can't you clean clothes first, then wash yourself?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Fine! I'll make it a priority next time!"

Zuko sweated a little, but was much calmer now. There was no way Sokka and Aang could figure out what had happened.

However, it was then that he noticed the wide grin Iroh had on his face. It wasn't his usual friendly smile. It was his famous "I know your little secret smile." Zuko was convinced that Azula had learned it from their uncle. This meant only one thing. Iroh knew!

Zuko glared and mouthed the words "Don't you dare!"

Iroh said nothing and continued to smile. Iroh then picked up a peach. "Sokka, may I borrow your knife?"

"Sure, why?"

"So that I can peel this moon peach. I enjoy eating them naked."

Zuko and Katara choked.

"That's how I like to eat them too!" Aang replied. "It tastes better without the skin."

Iroh nodded. "Yes, naked is the way to go...Where are you two off to?"

Katara quickly walked away. "I"m going to finish washing our clothes."

Zuko yelled as he walked very briskly. "I'm getting more firewood."

Aang looked at the small pile of wood. "But we already have..."

"I'M GETTING MORE!"

Sokka and Aang exchanged baffled expressions while Iroh chuckled.

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Later, it was Zuko's turn to keep watch while the others slept, and he was thankful. He wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. Whenever he closed his eyes the image of Katara bathing sprang into his mind.

Zuko growled. This was so stupid! He was a Fire Nation prince and he was worrying over some peasant girl who he accidently seen naked! Unfortunately, it was not just any girl, it was Katara. Furthermore, she was the first girl that Zuko had actually seen fully naked.

Zuko growled, then heard footsteps. He turned to find only Katara. Zuko straightened as if to show her that there was nothing on his mind, even if he was secretly trying to prove that to himself.

"Couldn't sleep?" Zuko asked.

"No." Katara replied took a seat next to Zuko. "We need to talk."

Zuko sighed. "Agreed."

Katara swallowed. "I know it was an accident, but you saw me naked. It happened and we can NEVER tell Aang and Sokka..."

"Because they would both kill me, especially Sokka."

"Right, but you and I can't keep avoiding each other like this or they will suspect that something's up." Katara took a deep breath. Zuko had a feeling that she'd been practicing this speech over and over again in her mind.

"We are both mature so let's just put this behind us and pretend this never happened and we'll never speak of it again."

"Agreed." Zuko instantly replied.

Katara appeared satisfied and got up. "See you in the morning then."

Zuko nodded, then a thought occurred to him. "Wait, Katara..."

She paused and turned. "Yes?"

"From what I saw, you're getting too skinny. You should try putting on a few more pounds."

In the morning, Aang and Sokka both wondered why Katara was so grumpy and why Zuko had a such a large bump on his head.


	4. Protective

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of it's characters, nor do I wish to make a profit from this story._

**"Protective"**

"Faster Zuko! They're catching up!" yelled Katara as she desperately tried to keep the food in her basket from falling out as they ran.

Zuko growled. "Really, Katara! I hadn't noticed!" The prince quickly glanced back. The three Fire Nation soldiers were faster than he had thought. Zuko cursed. They had to be slowed down. He pounced upon a cabbage filled cart and flipped it over.

"MY CABBAGES!" a man yelled as the vegetables tumbled towards the soldiers. For a minute, Zuko was afraid it wouldn't work, but he tossed that fear aside as he saw the soldiers tripping and toppling over the cabbages.

This was their chance! He grabbed Katara's hand and raced forward. Zuko was pulling so hard, Katara thought he would rip her arm off.

They quickly dashed into an alley. The pair ducked behind a group of barrels and crouched low. Both held their breath as the sound of fast paced feet went by.

There was a long pause before either of them could breathe properly. "Do you think we lost them?" Katara asked.

Zuko stood and glanced around the corner. "Yes. I don't see any sign of them turning back."

Katara sighed. "Good." Then she punched Zuko's arm. Hard!

Zuko yelped with pain. "Ow! What was that for!"

Katara placed her hands on her hips, the international signal to men that they were in big trouble. "What do you think! Because of you, those Fire Nation soldiers saw us and made us drop half of the food we bought."

Zuko twitched. "It's not like I meant for that to happen!"

"Zuko! You set that guy on fire! That's just as bad as yelling 'Hey Fire Nation! Come arrest me!'"

"First of all, I only set his sleeve on fire and that was to only scare him. You saw him! He just dunked his arm in a water bucket! He was fine!"

"But you shouldn't have set him on fire in the first place!" Katara yelled, with both of her eyes twitching.

"I only did that because he was creeping you out!"

"He was not!"

Zuko folded his arms, and stared at Katara in a way that reminded her of her father right before a long lecture. "Let me get this straight. A man, twice your age with no front teeth I might add, walks up and calls you sweetheart and then asks you to have dinner with him. You don't find that creepy?"

Katara fumed, but kept silent. Zuko wasn't wrong. The man had been creepy. She would never admit it to Zuko, but she was actually a little scared too. It was just the way he was looking at her, like he was a starved animal and she was his next meal. It sent shivers down her spine.

"Okay, yes I did find him creepy, but I can take care of myself."

"You mean like you did with those pirates."

"You're never going to drop that are you? Besides, that was different. I've gotten a lot stronger in my waterbending abilities since then. You of all people should know that."

Oh, Zuko knew that. The memory of all the bruises she gave him during their fight at the North Pole was proof enough. Katara could have easily scared that man away, and probably in a manner that wouldn't have grabbed the attention of those soldiers, but Zuko just went ahead and did it himself.

He didn't understand why he did it. Something inside of him just boiled dangerously when he noticed the man examining Katara like she was a piece of meat. However, that was nothing compared to the anger he felt when he saw the scared look on Katara's face.

Whatever was inside him snap and took over his body. Before he fully realized what he had done, the man was frantically trying to put out the fire. However, Zuko refused to tell Katara any of this. Why would he when he barely understood it himself?

"I know you're stronger, but...he annoyed me."

Katara raised an eyebrow, but accepted the answer. Who knew what was going through that head of his. "Let's head back and think of how to explain it to Sokka that we lost half of the food."

"Right and next time we're sending Toph and Uncle to shop."

Katara nodded, but said nothing. It wasn't needed, but Katara was glad to have learned one thing. She could count on Zuko to help her when she needed it. A small part of her was happy to learn this. She paused, then slowly said "Zuko, thank you."

Zuko showed no emotion, but he felt a strange pleasure to have heard this.


	5. The Debate

"_**The Debate"**_

"Let me get this straight," said Katara, unsure of whether she truly wanted to know. "You saw Momo dressed as a samurai and Appa dressed as a warlord and both of them having a duel to the death?"

Aang nodded. "It was so bizarre."

Sokka folded his arms. "Oh yeah, try seeing Toph on fire and a giant mushroom, then we'll talk."

Aang raised a confused eyebrow. He wanted to ask what Sokka was talking about, but Katara quickly mouthed "Don't ask."

Sokka stroked his chin. "Still, seeing a fight between Appa and Momo would be interesting." He shrugged. "But it would have been pointless, since it's obvious who would have won."

"Well, duh," Toph scoffed as she stretched out on the grass. "Any idiot could have figured out that Momo would have won in an instant."

Sokka frowned and stared at the earth bender like she had just declared she was joining the Fire Nation army. "Momo? How could Momo win? Appa clearly would have won the fight."

Toph sat up. "Appa? No way, Momo would have won."

"How?" Sokka asked exasperated.

"Cause Momo is small and can easily dodge attacks. Everyone knows it's harder to hit a small target."

"Who cares!" Sokka pointed to the air bison. "Appa is huge and he has SIX ARMS! He clearly has the advantage!"

Toph glared. "So what? The Boulder was twice my size and I kicked his butt. Plus, Momo can move a lot faster than Appa. Face it, Momo would win hands down." She turned to Aang. "You agree with me, right Twinkletoes."

"Well..." Aang was hesitant to pick sides. "I think they would both have some advantages...but if I had to pick...I would say Momo."

Toph grinned smugly. "See! Even the Avatar says so."

"That doesn't prove anything!" Sokka declared, scrambling to his feet. "There is no way that Momo would beat Appa! He's not smart enough."

"Hey! Momo is smart...in his own way." Aang yelled.

"That's enough!" Katara stood in the middle of the argument with her hands on her hips. "There's no need to start fighting over this." The others grumbled. Katara sighed. "Besides, Sokka's right, Appa would win."

Thus, the arguing and debating continued. Appa opened one lazy eye and rolled onto his side in the opposite direction, hoping to have a nap despite the noise. Momo yawned and decided to join him and then curled up on top of the bison's head.


End file.
